“For those of you interested in 18th-century botany and horticulture, have a look at the website of the Catesby Commemorative Trust at www.catesbytrust.org for information about a conference on Mark Catesby and his pioneering work on the flora and fauna of North America. (Full disclosure – the Smithsonian Libraries is one of the sponsors/hosts, and I’ll be one of the speakers.)

It will run from Sunday Nov. 4 through Saturday Nov. 10 and will move from Richmond VA, to Washington DC, and finally to Charleston SC. (You can sign up for any day(s) or for the whole week.) Click on the video and the conference schedule to see the full agenda. Scholars from England, the Netherlands, and the U.S. are scheduled to discuss Catesby’s period and sources, his art, his contributions to botany and zoology, and his influence on horticultural practices in America and Europe. And of course his book “The natural history of Carolina, Florida and the Bahama Islands” (London, 1731-1743, and later editions) will be on view at many of the institutions, museums, and private houses that will be hosting the sessions.

Please feel free to share this information with anyone you think might be interested, and let me know if you or they have any questions.”